Bangladesh tribunal issues death sentences against ousted prime minister in student-protest crackdown case

A special tribunal in Bangladesh has imposed death sentences on former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and ex-home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, holding them responsible for a violent state response to a student uprising last year, according to the court’s decision released Monday. Both former officials were tried in absentia after leaving for India, which has said it will not extradite them.

The International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka ruled that the pair authorized actions that contributed to widespread casualties during nationwide demonstrations over a contested public-sector quota system. The protests, led largely by university students, escalated into one of the country’s deadliest political crises in recent years, with hundreds reported killed.

A former police chief received a five-year prison term after cooperating with prosecutors and providing testimony against the former government. Hasina has rejected all charges as politically driven, while human rights groups and regional observers continue to debate the credibility and mandate of the tribunal.

The situation has drawn close attention across Canada’s South Asian diaspora, including communities in Surrey and Metro Vancouver, where many families maintain close ties to Bangladesh. Analysts say the verdict may deepen uncertainty in the country, which remains under the control of an interim administration headed by Muhammad Yunus.